Welcome to Fantasy Life's Start/Sit column, where John Laghezza and Gene Clemons dig deep with non-obvious, outside-the-box lineup advice. John's a numbers guy, Gene is a literal football coach — what more could you ask for?

Dive fully into the data behind your biggest start/sit dilemmas with our Start/Sit Tool!

Using a weighted mix of over a dozen different advanced stats on each side of the balI, I reverse-power-ranked every defense in the league—all to point fantasy gamers of any league size toward the right start/sit answers this weekend.

Week 8 RBs To Start: Streaming Austin Ekeler and Jamaal Williams

1. Commanders (vs. Giants) — The Giants continue shaping into the perfect weekly RB magnet and that trend extends on Sunday. Not only is Big Blue dead last in yards/rush (6.2), yards before contact/rush (2.7), and +20-yard carries (8), the offense stinks. Easily a bottom-5 unit, Daniel Jones’ inability to sustain drives disallows an already struggling defense proper rest between beatings. Brian Robinson has “start of the week” vibes going for him but I’m also queuing up Austin Ekeler as a FLEX play when he may have otherwise been benched.

2. Saints (vs. Panthers) — Oh, Carolina, just shut it down. Bad turns to worst for the now historically bad Panthers, who just lost whatever talent was left after injuries and trade. Pile all your fantasy players against the Panthers, dead last in rush success rate (48.1%) and rushing TDs allowed (8). No one’s really even considering sitting auto-smash Alvin Kamara, but there may be another sneaky path less trodden here. Kendre Miller left last weekend’s game injured (again) so I’m scooping up Jamaal Williams as a deep-league stream with a real chance to find the end zone.

Week 8 QBs/WRs/TEs To Start: Meet Grant Calcaterra

1. Eagles (vs. Jaguars) — Philadelphia got healthy at the WR position all at once coming off the bye, rattling off three straight wins with a very leaky Jaguars secondary in their sights.Jacksonville makes a compelling case for worst pass defense in the NFL, ranking 30th or worse in EPA/dropback (-0.30), opposer passer rating (111.8), passing yards/game (271.1), +20-yard completions (34), and passing TDs (17). The best part for fantasy managers? JAX found a little bit of swagger on offense lately, presenting the possibility for max returns by pushing this game into shootout territory. Start the obvious 1-2 WR punch of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith with a green light on for tight end Grant Calcaterra.

2. Chiefs (vs. Buccaneers) — If the pirate shoe fits, wear it. I’ve deployed pass catchers against TB all season — my favorite pass funnel. Check out the average QB line against this Buccaneers defense for the last month: 26 completions, 306 passing yards and 3.5 TD per game with an opposer passer rating of 119 and 19 total +20-yard completions. That’s three top-3 positional finishes in four weeks! Start your Chiefs. Travis Kelce may not ever ride fantasy pine but make sure to not miss out on potential games from DeAndre Hopkins and especially Xavier Worthy.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Start Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Falcons

This is a deep cut for sure — but you don't need me to tell you to start Mark Andrews, right? The truth is this: if you had better options, you wouldn't need a bold prediction. 

McCloud has played well in his role for the Falcons this season. He has turned into the de facto WR3 on the team and has as many targets (42) and catches (29) as Kyle Pitts. He also is good for a carry or two, which is amazing when you think about who Atlanta has at running back but that's how good McCloud is with the ball in his hands. The Cowboys offer an intriguing matchup because they have really struggled to stop the “others” in pass coverage. Two weeks ago Tim Patrick had three receptions for 68 yards in the Cowboys' loss to the Lions. Last week Ricky Pearsall had four catches on four targets. Ray-Ray can reap the benefits of a defense that will not have him as a first or second priority. If you are looking for someone off the radar — this is a perfect fit. 

Week 8 RBs To Sit: Benching… James Cook?

1. Broncos (vs. Ravens)  — First week in a while to not mention the Ravens’ tendencies above as a veritable pass funnel. You could bench your RBs on the season-long stats alone: 82 yards/game, 3.5 yards/rush, 2.3 YAContact/Rush, 5% explosive rush rate and 0, you heard that right, 0 +20-yard carries. And as good as this Broncos’ D played at points, no one’s solved the Todd Monken/Lamar Jackson collaboration this year. If and when Baltimore secures a lead, it’s anyone’s guess where the DEN backfield work goes. Sit the entire lot of them, from Javonte Williams to Jaleel McLuaghlin — all the way down the line.

2. Bills (vs. Dolphins) — The most difficult sits risk major egg on your face but fortune favors the bold. Anywhere I can muster a viable replacement, I’m benching last week’s overall RB1 James Cook (gulp). For starters, this Miami D did not get the credit it deserved carrying the carcass of a Tim Boyle/Tyler Huntley led offense for a month. Getting healthy during the Week 6 bye didn’t hurt either; the Fins are allowing fewer than 4 yards/carry since the break. Tua under center should keep it close and shift the Bills’ carry share toward Ray Davis — similar to what we saw against the Ravens.

Week 8 QBs and WR/TEs To Sit: Davante Adams Rides Pine

1. Jets (vs. Texans) — As a lifelong Jets fan let me say… sigh. When is it our turn? Why do we do this to ourselves every year? I don’t know the answer but here we are again. Apparently, the more talent NYJ adds the worse they get — so feel free to fade at will. 

Getting serious for a minute, Thursday night’s tilt between the Texans and Jets has all the makings of a molasses-paced rock fight. The Jets, in particular, move incredibly slow on offense. It’s a terrible matchup across the board for NYJ pass catchers, facing a top-tier Texans passing defense allowing just 16.1 completions/game at an absurd 53% completion rate. I know he’s a borderline first-rounder and understand he and Aaron Rodgers are best friends forever — sit Davante Adams.

2. Patriots (vs Titans) — I used up all my courage sitting Devante Adams for better options, none of which play for the Patriots. Drake Maye injected life into the New England offense before suffering a serious concussion and ceding snaps to Jacoby Brissett. Not sure it will make a difference who’s under center against the Titans. Through eight weeks, they’ve suffocated the opposition. Only Josh Allen threw for more than 201 yards while Keon Coleman remains the only WR to log more than 67 yards in a game. The Pats bear the unflattering honor of this weekend’s lowest implied team total (17) for a reason.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Sit Javonte Williams, RB, Broncos

Like John said above, normally I would be telling you to bench a member of the Ravens because of how good this Broncos squad has been, but this Ravens offense is different and it has Lamar Jackson at the controls. Denver will have to prove it to me. However this Ravens defense has proven to be a legitimate running back flu on a weekly basis — but is it because the run defense is good… or because the pass defense has been suspect? Whatever the reason, running backs have found it difficult to produce good games against Baltimore. Nick Chubb, dud. Ekeler, dud. Chase Brown scored a TD on a goal line pass play but still not a great day. Cook, dud. Dowdle, dud. Zamir, dud. Pacheco? Decent. This Ravens defense knows how to bottle up a running back. On top of the Ravens' defense understanding how to bottle up an offense, the Broncos may give a goal line carry or two to Bo Nix because they have made him the focal point of the offense. That is not a good sign for Williams. 

John's Parting Thought: Let’s Go To The Circus

Simply put, winning weekly fantasy matchups is all about attaching yourself to the highest scoring games. Check out this beauty (you may have to zoom in a little):

When I’m in a pinch this is my favorite image when in need of a thousand words—if all else fails, head toward the circus music. I charted the entire league’s points scored with points allowed as a simple reference tool:

Gene's Parting Thought: It's Dealing Season

We are in the midst of “dealing season.” Either you are happy with your team and you want to fortify reserves, or you are in desperate need of help. We are beyond the halfway mark of a fantasy season, so hitting the panic button is not ridiculous — but if you didn't? That would be a far wiser move. Look for the other desperate fantasy managers and know that they feel like you but maybe can't be as poised. This is how you can flip your team in the midst of a subpar season. Happy hunting and good luck to everyone's squad out there!